Federal attention turned to Tennessee as William Rosecrans threatened Braxton Bragg’s Confederates at Chattanooga. Federal naval forces continued their bombardment of Charleston, the major armies in Virginia continued licking their wounds, and a vicious raid occurred in Kansas.
Defending Charleston to the Last Extremity
Federal army-navy forces continue working to capture Morris Island at the southern entrance to Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
From Spencer G. Welch, 13th South Carolina
Letter from Dr. Spencer G. Welch, a surgeon with the 13th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry.
Post-Vicksburg: Grant’s Army Reduced
Ulysses S. Grant’s Federal army is reduced following the capture of Vicksburg, despite Grant’s urgings that the next target should be Mobile.
Federals Raid Into West Virginia
William W. Averell initiates another Federal raid into West Virginia, which culminates in an engagement at White Sulphur Springs.
Braxton Bragg and his Confederate army look to take back Middle Tennessee, while the Lincoln administration continues pressuring William S. Rosecrans to advance.
President Abraham Lincoln rejects New York Governor Horatio Seymour’s request to suspend the military draft in his state.
Robert E. Lee submits his resignation as commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to President Jefferson Davis.
Forestalling the Public Judgment
Confederate President Jefferson Davis tries to regroup after the disastrous loss of the Mississippi River, which includes consoling John C. Pemberton for having surrendered his army at Vicksburg.
Thomas Ewing incurs the wrath of Confederate raiders operating along the Missouri-Kansas border by targeting their relatives, including women and children.
The Chattanooga Campaign Begins
William S. Rosecrans’s Federal Army of the Cumberland finally begins moving out of Tullahoma to capture the vital railroad city of Chattanooga.
Federal heavy artillery opens fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, while Federal naval vessels begin bombarding Battery Wagner on Morris Island to the south.
A Federal force led by Frederick Steele advances westward from Helena, Arkansas, to capture the state capital of Little Rock.
Ambrose Burnside finally puts his Federal Army of the Ohio in motion in an effort to capture Knoxville in eastern Tennessee.
William C. Quantrill’s Confederate raiders rampage through Lawrence, the focal point of “Bleeding Kansas” since before the war.
The Swamp Angel Terrorizes Charleston
Federals unleash the destructive cannon nicknamed the “Swamp Angel” on the people of Charleston, South Carolina, and Confederates object to waging war on civilians.
The Practical Demolition of Fort Sumter
The Federal bombardment of Fort Sumter and Batteries Wagner and Gregg in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, temporarily halts.
Thomas Ewing, commanding the Federal District of the Border between Missouri and Kansas, issues repressive orders that threaten to escalate the bitter partisan war in the region even further.
The Federal Approach to Little Rock Continues
Federal forces slowly advance toward the Arkansas capital of Little Rock, while Confederate defenders struggle to maintain control of the city.
The experimental Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sinks in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
Federals Close in on Chattanooga
Federal artillery opens fire on Chattanooga, as William S. Rosecrans tries enveloping the vital railroad city.
Northern Virginia and the Confederate Strategy Conference
Robert E. Lee attends a conference with President Jefferson Davis at Richmond to discuss upcoming Confederate strategy in Virginia and elsewhere, while Lee’s top lieutenant has ideas of his own.
Last Updated: 9/6/2023